Convergence Television (last blog post due anytime before final exam)
Discuss how you see two of John Caldwell’s five elements of convergence television (outlined on page 46 of his essay) applying to the television you consume today.
One of my favorite television show’s today is “The Mindy Project.” The show has drawn much attention for the style of the characters (especially Mindy) as well as for the set design of Mindy’s apartment and gynecology office. I have gone to websites created by fans, among them: “themindyprojectstyle.com” and “wornontv.net” to track down some of her outfits. However, just recently I saw an advertisement from Fox, in which viewers can now access, the website: “shop.fox.com/TheMindyProject” to directly buy clothes, jewelry and furniture worn on specific episode. This site is a great example of “Conglomerating Textuality,” one of Caldwell’s five elements of convergence television. It not only allows fan to become immersed in the story world but it also is a great way for Fox to monetize various product placements. As I normally watch the show through hulu and other Internet platforms and do not see as many advertisements, the clothes and other products interwoven into the text itself is the best bet at encouraging consumerism in a post-network environment. In addition to these features viewer’s can also watch a video that gives a 360-degree view of Mindy’s closet—something that loyal viewers like myself really enjoy.
The site also utilizes another one of Caldwell’s elements of Programing Textuality (stunts, sweeps). In particular the show built up a reluctant romance between the characters Mindy and Danny that lasted through most of the first two seasons. Dedicated fans of the show have created fan-fiction of the two getting together, and the show itself seemed to draw attention to these observations by weaving in romantic moments between the two characters as the series progressed. When the series began to struggle with ratings, it seemed evident that the show’s creators were attempting to do anything to win viewers back. Thus before going on a 2-month hiatus, the show decided to finally draw attention to the two’s romance in the episode “The Desert.” This episode occurred right before the January sweeps period, and thus was the perfect way to increase viewership in order to set higher advertising rates. When the episode ended, the show advertised the couple’s now budding relationship and said they would have to tune in on April 1st to see what happened after the two’s first kiss. Not only was this a great way to increase viewership, but it was also a great cliffhanger to keep viewers from forgetting about the show once its three-month break commenced. Additionally, this episode was the second highest rated of the season (just below the season premiere)—with 3.02 million viewers—clearly exemplifying it was a successful sweeps stunt.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite television show’s today is “The Mindy Project.” The show has drawn much attention for the style of the characters (especially Mindy) as well as for the set design of Mindy’s apartment and gynecology office. I have gone to websites created by fans, among them: “themindyprojectstyle.com” and “wornontv.net” to track down some of her outfits. However, just recently I saw an advertisement from Fox, in which viewers can now access, the website: “shop.fox.com/TheMindyProject” to directly buy clothes, jewelry and furniture worn on specific episode. This site is a great example of “Conglomerating Textuality,” one of Caldwell’s five elements of convergence television. It not only allows fan to become immersed in the story world but it also is a great way for Fox to monetize various product placements. As I normally watch the show through hulu and other Internet platforms and do not see as many advertisements, the clothes and other products interwoven into the text itself is the best bet at encouraging consumerism in a post-network environment. In addition to these features viewer’s can also watch a video that gives a 360-degree view of Mindy’s closet—something that loyal viewers like myself really enjoy.
The site also utilizes another one of Caldwell’s elements of Programing Textuality (stunts, sweeps). In particular the show built up a reluctant romance between the characters Mindy and Danny that lasted through most of the first two seasons. Dedicated fans of the show have created fan-fiction of the two getting together, and the show itself seemed to draw attention to these observations by weaving in romantic moments between the two characters as the series progressed. When the series began to struggle with ratings, it seemed evident that the show’s creators were attempting to do anything to win viewers back. Thus before going on a 2-month hiatus, the show decided to finally draw attention to the two’s romance in the episode “The Desert.” This episode occurred right before the January sweeps period, and thus was the perfect way to increase viewership in order to set higher advertising rates. When the episode ended, the show advertised the couple’s now budding relationship and said they would have to tune in on April 1st to see what happened after the two’s first kiss. Not only was this a great way to increase viewership, but it was also a great cliffhanger to keep viewers from forgetting about the show once its three-month break commenced. Additionally, this episode was the second highest rated of the season (just below the season premiere)—with 3.02 million viewers—clearly exemplifying it was a successful sweeps stunt.